The 17th Hunger Games
by cosmokim
Summary: A work in progress. So far, James Bishop has been chosen for the Hunger Games. He is sure he will not do well, but he could. Note: I will update. Cover image is of James Bishop.
1. Reaping

The wind blows hard on my face as I navigate my way through the streets. My short cropped hair still lies flat on my head and other than the wind, it is a normal day.

Oh. I forgot. Today is Reaping Day.

Already a crowd of people are gathered around the square, no doubt ready for the reaping to begin. I see that my parents are not anywhere. Probably watching at home.

I had left at about three in the morning to get ready. And ready I look! My brown hair is parted nicely where I can and I am wearing my best clothes. The ones that citizens of District 8, my district, distribute for special occasions.

The announcer steps up to the microphone, and his deep voice rings about the square.

"Welcome to the reaping, citizens of District 8. My name is Harrison Roseau and I am your host for this years Reaping.

"I would like you to stand tight while the video plays. It will teach you about the reason that we host your Hunger Games."

The video shows war. War in which the Capitol won, like always. There is a shot of District 13's bombing, and I am wondering if somebody or multiple people could have survived. It could have happened, you know.

Then Harrison says,"OK, now let's pick the boy and girl from District 8 for the 17th Hunger Games." His hand goes into the ballot box. "For the girl, Elaine Morrison." His hand goes into the boys' ballot box: "James Bishop."

I wait for James to step forward, then I realize that's me! _Oh, no no no_. I walk up, every eye on me. I turn to Elaine, and whisk myself out before I cry on public television.


	2. Saying Goodbye

I run homee, as quickly as I can. I still see Harrison pushing his hand into the ballot and saying my name. Except now his eyes are red slits in my mind and the newly elected eighteen year old President Coriolanus Snow replaces him. The names echo in my head.

I punch the door open and my mother, a small, slight woman, opens the door.

"James, oh, I heard on television. Please, please try to win. I won't be able to make it one day knowing that you are dead. Oh, my only child, so young at fifteen, going to the Hunger Games." She blubbers on and on, and I don't feel the need to tell her that I am sixteen, and am perfectly capable of winning the Games.

My older sister, Wanda, walks in through the door. "Absurd. Absolutely absurd. I was not selected, and that pleases me, because that was my last reaping. But I know Elaine Morrison." As she catches her breath, she sees our faces.

"What? She was my friend because she saved our lives. Two years ago, I showed up with beef to help feed Dad and us. Dad's dead, but she saved our _lives_!" Her eyes are pleading me, _me_ to believe her. But I can't find it in me to.

"Goodbye, Mom." are the last words that come out of my mouth before I leave for the train. As I close the door, I hear sobbing and my name.


	3. Train Ride

Elaine and I are very quiet on the train ride for about two hours, despite Harrison's desperate attempts to cheer us up. I am still dry eyed even though Elaine's eyes are red with crying.

Finally, our trainor steps up and tells us that his name is George Anveel. We nod and he tells us strategies. I pay attention for the first ten minutes, then doze off.

I dream of going into the arena. I run to the Cornucopia, and grab a knife and a backpack. Soon, the Careers are after me. I scream and sprint away. I then run into the boy from District 6. He stabs me and I wake with a start.

George is still going, on about the importance of edible plants, reminding us not to run to the Cornucopia unless we see backpacks or knives close to us. "The Careers are ruthless."

Elaine seems to have been paying attention, even though she probably didn't talk. George tells us that we need as many allies as possible to have a fighting chance against the Careers. I personally don't think we have one, but Elaine is taking notes on tributes she would like.

Argh, I am never the best at anything, and I won't last a day in the arena anyway. I might as well go into the bloodbath to ask Careers to kill me.


	4. Welcome to the Capitol

When we finally reach the Tribute Hotel, Elaine and I run to pick our stuff up. We decide to go to our room. When we reach it, we notice the air conditioning, futuristic furniture, and beauty that we could never have in District Eight.

I fall asleep immediately. I then wake up to Elaine whispering," _James, James, get up. We must meet at the rooftop to discuss our strategy. Remember, please, that tomorrow is Training Day, so we can pick allies._ "

Elaine succeeds, and ten minutes later we are standing on the roof. I have discovered a way to not compete in the Games, but I should try. We discuss our approach on the bloodbath, and decide to run into the thick of things. If we don't, we won't get weapons.

Second, we decide to meet in a wooded area as soon as possible to pool supplies with our allies. There, we can get ready in case the Careers or somebody comes up. We'll have to have a way to defend ourselves.

Lastly, we decide that once we reach the final five, we need to disband. Otherwise, other tributes in our alliance could kill us to take us off their list of tributes to beat.

The next morning, we turn up at 10 AM to start training. First, Elaine and I go to the edible plants station. There we see the tributes from District 10 and District 11. They seem to know what they're doing.

I do fine, but Elaine fails. I am not sure how long we'll last in the Games, but I can help Elaine find the right plants.

Next, obstacle courses. I step up, jump onto the first padded block, and jump from block to block across a pretend cliff. Then I see a rope, jump, grab on, then swing to a big block. Then, I run across a runway, pull myself up the wall, and start hanging on to monkey bars. In the end I make it through the course.

Elaine is proving to have a harder time than I am. In both archery and knife throwing, she is terrible and the only thing she can do is hold a sword. When we move on to fighting moving targets, she fails, and I question how long she'll make it through.

However, she is very intelligent, and might be useful to me. I decide to wait and see how she does. So I don't pay attention when she lifts weights, but when it comes to camoflauge, she is truly a master. She can do things that I can't do despite being one of the strongest boys in the country. I guess that I need to learn more about camoflauge.


	5. Interviews and Skill Level Tests

When I wake up, I realize that it is interview day. After dashing to eat breakfast, brush my teeth, and get into nice clothes, I run down to meet my stylist. He turns me into something beautiful, and I thank him. His name is Kang.

I meet Elaine, who also looks marvelous, and together we join the line of tributes. They are already being interviewed; we are late. Elaine is next. While she goes I don't pay attention, and by the time it's my turn I walk up.

I tell Rubeus, the interviewer, that my name is James Bishop, I am 16, and that I am from District 8. I tell him my strategies, my views on the tributes. I even publicly announce I would like the District 6 girl, and the District 11 boy as my partners.

When I am done, Elaine punches me in the nose for telling the tributes our strategy. I fall down and scream that we will never get partners. She kicks my body, until she has to stop. I catch my breath.

The next day, Elaine glares at me until she goes for her skill test. After thirty minutes, it is my turn. I lay a target down 60 feet away from me. Then I get a bow out, and shoot the target right between the eyes. For good measure, I then run over, and stab the target in the neck.

When I am done, I take a shower and wait for results to come on television. When they do, I look.

The Career districts score in the range of eight to ten, like normal. Districts 5, 7, and 11 have scores in the range of five to seven. Districts 3, 6, 9, and 12 pull scores below 5.

Oh yeah. Elaine got a seven and I got a nine. We did well, not quite like the Careers, but good. I was surprised at my high score, but I also knew, in the corner of my mind, that the games would start tomorrow.


	6. The Bloodbath

When I see the stylist, Kang, again, he puts on my arena suit. Of course I know the Hunger Games were today, but I feel dread. Dread that I will be dead soon. I am not the first to feel this way, nor will I be the last, but I am very passionate about it.

I look at Kang disappear as I go up the tubes. Bright sunlight hurts my eyes as I get adjusted. Soon, I see a huge metal horn with goodies inside. I know I can survive this. I have to.

The timer starts counting. I get into a running position. 60. 59. 58.

I'm wondering if I will survive this. I look at the Cornucopia and zone in on knives and a backpack.

32\. 31. 30.

I look at the woods to decide where to esape to. I see a rock lying on the ground. I decide to eun to the rock, then go straight until I find water.

3\. 2. 1. 0.

I sprint towards the Cornucopia, ready to get my hands on those knives. The boy from 2, who was next to me, is going in a different direction, as is the girl from 3, who was also next to me. I run in, grab knives, and look for the backpack. I see knives and swords and machetes slashing and twirling, and already five or so lie dead on the ground.

That's when I see her. Her brown hair is straight, and she sees a machete. She runs towards it, but a boy gets there first. I hear her shriek as he slices her stomach in half.

Elaine. Dead.

I am so dumbstruck that I am almost killed myself, as I am running away. I make a note to never get distracted so easily again.

As I set up camp, I finally allow myself to reflect on these facts:Elaine is dead. I survived. At least ten will have died by the end of the bloodbath.

I hear booming noises. I manage to count eleven. Eleven are dead already. That means that there are thirteen people left to play the Games. And I am one of them.

Not long later, the faces are about to show. The anthem plays as I look at the faces. The boy from 3. The girl from 5. The boy from 6. Both from 7. Elaine. Both from 9. The boy from 10. Finally, both from 12.

I groan as I roll my sleeping bag out. Within minutes I am asleep.


	7. The Second Day

When I open my eyes, I realize that I am in the top thirteen tributes so far. That makes me so proud of myself, that I want to laugh and cry at the same time. Then I remember. Elaine is dead.

I relive her death. The look of terror in her eyes. The small shriek that she let out. And finally, her dead body on the ground as the boy digs for things she took.

Tears fill my eyes, because although I had no reason to feel sorry for her death, I do. The Careers are hunting for me. Oh. I need to move camp somewhere safe, somewhere that the Careers will not find me or kill me. But first I need to find some water.

Water. The thing that could save my life. It will be heavenly when I see the clear stuff running in a stream for me to drink. Water. H2O. What I need now to save my life.

I explore the woods, then finally find some. I drink it quickly. Sip it bit by bit. Wash my face in it. And then I set up camp. Then I hear a cannon.

Who could it be? All I process at the time is that I am at the top 12 tributes. I'm happy, but sad. If only Elaine was here to see this moment.

The sky is now black. I go back to camp and tuck myself in. Then I pull the blanket over me and look at the sky. The face that appears is that of the girl from District 4. Wow, a Career down already. Only two days into the game. What a surprise.


	8. James's Career Encounter

When I wake up, I notice that the Careers are next to me. They are distracted at the moment, so I try to back away. "Please please please please please please please please don't hurt me _don't hurt me_ DON'T HURT ME!"

I am reduced to acting like a child. Of course. But who wouldn't seeing all five smiling faces staring at me, _me_ , ready to kill. "OK, so maybe I can be of…some use…in finding and killing tributes…just please don't kill me."

I am pathetic. The idea that these monstrous people would take pity on me is absolutely absurd. I see that they are evil. But still, one tribute, the girl from 1, seems to take pity on me. She looks away. But when she looks back, I see she has a knife. She digs it in to my stomach. Pain ripples through me, and I scream. Blood is dripping on her knife as she takes it out of my stomach.

"Won't be long now until he dies. Now let's go find someone else to kill." The Careers leave, and I have time alone to reflect on my pain.

I know that I will die soon, yet I drag my body to the stream and cover myself in dirt. I then pray that no one finds me.

I had a crush on Elaine. Every time she was angry at me, sad, hurt, happy, anything, I loved her. She brought joy to my life even as I knew that I would never see my family again. " _Elaine."_ I whisper. She hated me, but I still loved her. " _Elaine_." She wasn't exactly pretty, but she was smart, nice, and intelligent . " _Elaine_ " I let blackness consume me, until I sense no more.

 _Can I be forgiven for all I've done wrong to get to this position? Can I? I think so. Time to let go. Elaine, I will see you soon._

I see a mirror of Elaine, and instead of fighting her touch, I accept it.

 _I am leaving, departing life, goodbye to all who I've already met. Mom. Dad. Friends. Goodbye forever. Why am I happy? I don't know. Goodbye._

 _James Bishop is dead. His cannon will fire shortly. But stay tuned. You never know if a surprise will happen._


End file.
